Chapter 273

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Lucia had lost consciousness and collapsed.

It wasn’t just a simple fainting—she was bleeding.

She was showing signs of mental damage, likely due to “mental corruption”.

There was suspicion that the devil god residing within her body might be the cause.

That was the gist of the message Eugene had sent.

Leaving the remaining tasks to Fiore, the God of War immediately headed to the academy. Handing over his duties to a subordinate made him feel guilty, but that was originally the role of the 1st Division’s vice-captain. When the commander was absent, Fiore was in charge of leading the 1st Division.

Though she gave off an unreliable impression, as if a screw were loose, she was quite capable.

If she were incompetent, she wouldn’t have been appointed as vice-captain in the first place.

The 1st Division’s vice-captain had a heavier responsibility than those of other divisions. The God of War’s primary duty was to exterminate monsters outside the barrier. Originally, the 1st Division’s mission was to invade monster territory and eradicate them, but that was limited to areas near the border. The demonic realm was not an environment where humans could survive.

It was a form of terraforming.

Monsters had corrupted the land they occupied.

The laws of nature were altered, and logic was twisted.

The land, now suitable for monsters, was hostile to humans. Every essential element for survival rejected humans. Even for Supernaturals, venturing deep into the demonic realm was dangerous. Fighting an endless horde of monsters was an overwhelming task. Without access to food and water in the demon realm, supply lines were also disrupted.

Even if the corrupted land was purified, it would soon be reclaimed. There was a lack of manpower. There weren’t enough Supernaturals to reclaim and continuously defend the lost territory. As a result, the 1st Division couldn’t advance beyond a certain point outside the barrier. The best they could do was periodically exterminate monsters in the demonic realm to prevent them from crossing the border.

But the God of War was an exception.

He was the only Supernatural capable of crossing the demonic realm.

As a result, he often had to leave his post to exterminate monsters, and during those times, the vice-captain took charge of the 1st Division.

The fact that the God of War had appointed Fiore as the 1st Division’s vice-captain spoke highly of her abilities.

It had been about a year since the former vice-captain, Kaen, was promoted to captain of the 7th Division, and Fiore took over as vice-captain.

During that time, she had proven her capabilities through her achievements. She could be trusted to fill in during his absence. In fact, she performed better when he wasn’t around. She was too nervous when he was present, or so she claimed. Despite the challenging conditions, her competence made up for it.

“The devil god might have gone berserk…”

He thought the possibility was low, but the God of War wasn’t naive. He had allowed Lucia to act freely because he was confident she was safe.

Eugene’s strike had shattered the core and soul, Lucille’s final arrangement had sealed it, and his own Supernatural Ability had firmly suppressed it. Even if it were a devil god, it shouldn’t have been able to move.

Of course, the seal wasn’t eternal.

He had anticipated that Belial would eventually break free.

Before that happened, he planned to extract Belial from Lucia’s body.

“Unless Belial suddenly went mad and caused a rampage, Lucia shouldn’t be in any danger.”

The God of War shook his head. If that were the case, Belial would have been prepared to self-destruct. There was no reason or need for that. It was too inefficient. Simply lying low and waiting would allow its power to return. It would be much more efficient to bide its time and strike at the right moment. There was no need to gamble with its life.

Even if it felt a sense of urgency, fearing it might be eliminated before it could establish a proper foundation, Belial would still be aware of its own condition. Belial’s shattered soul had deeply embedded itself into Lucia’s soul, like shards of broken glass. It wasn’t a problem that could be resolved quickly.

Attempting to forcibly remove it would only damage Lucia’s soul.

Inadvertently, Belial had gained some time.

“…Overthinking this now is just a waste of energy. I’ll find out when I see for myself.”

The sky near noon was clear and transparent.

The scorching summer sun stirred up a heatwave.

Cloaked in golden light, the God of War soared through the blue sky toward the academy.

He leapt through the air, stepping on nothingness. Though there was no solid ground, he ran across the sky. A golden flash. He far exceeded the speed of sound, yet no shockwave was generated. The usual laws of physics fell silent before him. He was the one and only under heaven. His words were order, and his will was law.

It took only a few minutes to travel from the Celestial Corps headquarters to the academy. The God of War looked down from the vast sky.

Though the academy’s main building was just a dot from such a high altitude, the God of War’s vision was sharp enough to make out people’s expressions. He saw a familiar face. A woman who now looked more suited to a white lab coat than the Celestial Corps uniform was looking up at the sky. It was no illusion that their eyes met.

“…”

The God of War stepped on an invisible platform. He fell. His obsidian-black hair fluttered irregularly in the fierce wind. He accelerated as he descended. The academy’s main building, which had been as small as an ant, rapidly expanded, and soon the God of War’s feet touched the ground. The rooftop. His landing was as quiet as a feather touching down.

“Well, well, who do we have here? Isn’t it the eternal brat? You’ve grown taller since I last saw you. Are you still in your growth spurt? Don’t tell me you’re still going through puberty?”

“Theresa.”

He uttered the name of the former 1st Division vice-captain.

The God of War let out a soft laugh as he spoke.

“It’s not that I’ve grown taller—it’s that you’ve shrunk. Age really doesn’t lie, does it?”

“That’s not wrong, but it’s not something you should be saying. We’re both getting older, after all.”

Theresa shoved her hands into the pockets of her lab coat and leaned against the railing.

She had sensed the God of War’s approach through her “Detection” ability and had been waiting on the rooftop.

“What’s the matter? You didn’t even call ahead.”

If he had business at the academy, he would have notified her in advance. It was strange for him to show up unannounced.

She knew the weight of the title “God of War”. For the commander to visit the academy without any prior notice—the vice-principal would be foaming at the mouth if he found out. And he hadn’t just come casually; he had flown here at full speed. The fact that he didn’t have any attendants suggested this wasn’t an official visit… What could it be? What could have made the eternally youthful boy rush to the academy in such a hurry?

Theresa was one of the few acquaintances who interacted with the God of War without pretense.

Having known him for so long, she had a decent understanding of what kind of person he was.

In her eyes, the God of War seemed unusually anxious right now. Restless, one might say. It was a reaction she hadn’t seen since the time she lost both her legs many years ago.

“There’s something urgent. It’s good timing. I was actually planning to look for you.”

“Oh, what is it? You came to see me? I’m touched~ I didn’t know you missed me this much. Should I hug you like old times? Did you miss big sis’ bosom?”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

The God of War brushed off Theresa’s joke and recalled Eugene’s message.

The message mentioned that the school nurse had examined Lucia.

That meant Theresa had “Detected” Lucia.

She was the one who best understood Lucia’s current condition.

“Theresa.”

“What’s with that serious face… Are you really going to hug me? You’ve gotten quite bold since I last saw you. Harassing your former subordinate? That’s hard to endure. I should file a complaint with the Celestial Corps~”

Seeing no need to argue, the God of War ignored her teasing and got straight to the point.

“Do you remember the female student you ‘Detected’ today?”

“If you mean the one I examined today, there’s only one… Why do you ask?”

Theresa looked puzzled.

She couldn’t understand why the God of War was bringing up Lucia.

“Tell me everything you found through ‘Detection’. Don’t leave anything out.”

“That’s not difficult, but… you’ll need to give me a reason. You’re the commander of the Celestial Corps, but you’re still an outsider here. You know what I mean, right?”

Surprisingly, the commander’s authority wasn’t that extensive.

The academy wasn’t a subordinate organization of the Celestial Corps. It was a separate entity, and even the commander couldn’t interfere arbitrarily. It would be overstepping his authority. Demanding a student’s information without a valid reason was unacceptable.

Of course, that was the legal stance, but reality was quite different.

Though the God of War himself had reduced the vast authority of the Celestial Corps captains, his influence still reached everywhere. In the United Nations, it was easier to count what the God of War couldn’t do than what he could. If he wanted to, he could turn the republic into a monarchy. Retrieving information about one student was trivial in comparison.

That’s why Theresa’s question wasn’t about the law or principles.

She was just curious and wanted him to confess straightforwardly.

“Sigh…”

The God of War let out a small sigh. He was impatient, but he couldn’t push her too hard. Reluctantly, he decided to briefly explain his relationship with Lucia. Of course, he wouldn’t reveal everything. It was too personal, and explaining everything would be a waste of time. Saying he was Lucia’s guardian would suffice.

After some thought, the God of War spoke in a low voice.

“It’s because I’m Lucia’s…”

“Brother!”

“Yeah, because I’m her brother… Wait, what?”

Yoo-seong was startled by his own words. What did I just say? Another voice suddenly interrupted, making me spout nonsense… Wait, another voice?

Creak, like rusty hinges, Yoo-seong’s head turned.

Standing in front of the wide-open rooftop door was a golden-haired girl with a bright smile.

“It really is you, big brother! Hehe, I thought I was seeing things when you fell from the sky.”

With light, cheerful footsteps, Lucia approached. She stopped three steps away, then hopped up. She stretched her arms out and slipped them under Yoo-seong’s armpits, leaning her upper body forward. Due to their height difference, Lucia’s face pressed against Yoo-seong’s chest. Resting her body in Yoo-seong’s embrace, Lucia looked up. She smiled brightly and spoke.

“What brings you to the academy, Big brother? Did you come to see me?”

“Uh, yeah. That’s right…”

It wasn’t entirely wrong—he had rushed here because he was worried about her. While he felt relieved seeing her seemingly fine, a chill ran down his spine as the back of his head tingled. Yoo-seong turned his head toward the source of the piercing gaze. Theresa was staring at him with an indescribably strange expression.

“Big brother… you say…?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“You two… don’t tell me… but the age difference… at least 100 years… you’re not a thief… a phantom thief of the century… an adult and a minor… hey, this is statutory…!”

“No.”

Yoo-seong firmly denied Theresa’s nonsense.

What kind of mental gymnastics led to that conclusion?

He wasn’t curious, and he didn’t want to know.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Lucia is a spoiled little sister to her older brother.

Even though she is a self-proclaimed one.

Since Yoo-seong accepted her, isn’t it official?

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Technically it’s two christmas cakes but hey.

Both are still idiots!!

Like Kat.

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